The Stanford University Biodesign Program is partnering with the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to establish a new training program called Singapore-Stanford Biodesign.  This program seeks to train the next generation of Asian leaders who can develop innovative medical devices to address Asia’s growing healthcare needs.

“Stanford welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with scientists from Singapore in an effort to provide solutions to some of the biggest challenges in health care and medicine,” said Stanford University President John Hennessy, PhD, who is in Singapore today for the official launch of the program. “Through this partnership, we aim to foster innovations in medical technology in Singapore and Silicon Valley that will capitalize on the expertise that Stanford has pioneered in Biodesign.”

The Singapore program will provide a fellowship for four Asian fellows to go to Stanford for six months of training in the Biodesign process. The fellows will be based in Singapore for the remaining six months, of which at least one month will be spent obtaining first-hand experience in determining clinical needs in hospitals and clinics. They will subsequently develop solutions to address these clinical needs through new medical device technologies and bring concepts to the prototype or proof-of-concept stage. These four fellows will come from different disciplines (engineering, medicine, business) that represent key segments of Stanford’s Biodesign process to invent, develop, and commercialize innovative medical devices.

“Singapore will benefit from the 10 years of experience we have in training young engineers and physicians in the Biodesign process – most importantly, by our direct mentoring of some of their most talented young innovators,” said Paul Yock, MD, Director of Stanford’s Biodesign Program. “Stanford will gain a highly effective portal to the Asian medical technology scene. Emerging Medtech innovators in the U.S. need to develop a global focus and expertise. Singapore is a terrific starting point for us in Asia.”

Please click here to visit the Singapore-Stanford Biodesign Program website.